Differential gearing



C. H. LOGUE AND D. D.'ORMSBY.

DIFFERENTIAL GEARING. APPLiCATION FILED OCT. 25. 1917.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTO R flTToRA/EY C. H. LOGUE AND D. DQORMSBY.

DIFFERENTIAL BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25I 1917.

1,396,225. PatentedN0v.8,1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

)hT/v s55: V NVENTOR /1 3" 6.5. a i i 7W A a HT TORNEY C. H. LOGUE AND D. D. 0RMSBY.

DIFFEREN IAL (BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 00?. 25, I917.

1,396,225; Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UN-ITED sr TEs PATENT OFFICE.

. cnannas n. LOGUE AND Domino 1). career, or svaacusn, NEW Yoax.

nurnmm'rrar. -surname.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed October- 25, 1817. Serial No. 198,519.

To all wlw in it may conoem:

Be it known that we, CHARLns H. LOGUE and DONALD D. ORMSBY, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of j ments in differential gear as applied more a under greatest traction resistance to propel particularly to the driving connections between the engine and axle sections of the traction wheels of motor-driven vehicles to such wheels in turning'corners, and at the same time prevents the slipping of either traction wheel when the'traction resistance is unequal, as for example when either wheel is upon a soft or slippery surface while the other is upon a more solid foundation.

The broad object, therefore, is to provide simple and eificient means for automatically retarding the relatively free rotation of the wheel under least resistance so that the power required to drive the slipping wheel will be transmitted to the traction wheel under greatest resistance, thereby greatly reducing the liabilit of stalling the machine by the slippingo either wheel.

We have found by repeated denionstrations'that this result may be successfully accomplished without in any way interfering with the difierential speed of movement of the wheels in turning corners by constructing the teeth of the planetary and driven gears in such manner that the slipping wheel will produce an end or radial thrust of the planetary gear into frictional contact with a portion of the revoluble carrier for the planetary gear, thereby retarding the rolling motion of the planetary gear around the driven gear of the wheel under greatest traction resistance and incidentally retarding 'the relative rotation of the slipping wheel which, of course, would throw the entire power of the motor upon the wheel the machine. 1

The main object of our. present invention is to render this frictional/ or braking resistance to rotation of the planetary wheel Another object is to utilize theleveragestrains upon the planetary gear or gears to increase said frictional or braking resistance, and at the same time to reduce the liability of breakage or impairment of any 'of the operating parts due to such strains.

Other objects and uses relating to specific structural features of the device as a whole will be brought out in the following dey 'scription. compensate for the difierence in travel of In the drawings---- Fi re 1 is a horizontal sectionalview of one orm of our improved differential gear and portion of the engine shaft with the driving pinion thereon, the axle sections 'for the traction wheels being omitted.

Fig. 2 is an end view, partly in section, of the difierential gearing shown in Fig. 1, omitting the driving pimon and large gear meshing therewith.

. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the adjustable bearings for the outer end of a planetary gear.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the bearings for the inner end of a planetary gearing.

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the rotary yoke or carrier for the planetary gears andtheir bearings, and also for the large drivin gear shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

1g. 6 is a sectional view similar 'to Fig.

1 of a worm-driven central web for the lanetary gears showing a modified form of ock for the adjustable outer' end bearlngs of said planetary gears,7 and taken in the plane of line 6-6, Fig.

Fig. 7 is an end view, part1 in section, similar to Fig. 2, of the modi ed constructionshown in Fig. 6. n

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a further modified construction of 'diflI'er-' 50 f for receiving-a similarly hubs -2-'- extendin in op site directions circumferentially, while one-side of the wall provided with a h'w-ise.

from theirmain bo ies an provided with central shaft bearings which are corru ated'circumferentiall for sliding inter- Ioc g connection wit similarly corrugated ends of a pair of coaxially axlesections, not shown, but. by which rotary m0.-

' 7 tion is transmittedfrom the gears 1- to f the traction wheels of a motor vehicle.

gears lare --4 of a web -'-1'- and forms an integral '16 The inner ends of the hubs 2- of the joumaled in a central. bore -.-5 which is located between the adjacent gear faces of the gears part of a, circular frame or yoke --6- surrounding said gears, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1.

- The web of, 'in this instance four, transverse openings 7 arran 6. equally distant apart "circumferentially or receiving a corresponding number of planetary gears or pmions 8- which mesh with the gears "--1 m Fa manner hereinafter described.

ing bushings --12'- being of considerably greater diameter than theinner 9. and bushin walls of t eir respective openings by a clampin screw 1 bushing '-12 is nally for outwardly tapered journa nerwan outer ends of each of the several openings 7- are provided with coaxial radial openings 9- and 10--, Figs. 1 and 2, for receiving hardened bushings or bearings 11- and 12j, respectively, the outer'ope'nings 10- and their correspond- The inner bushmgs --11- are with flan ed outer ends engaging are held against rotation by, locking pins 13 Flg. 2, said inner bushings being also provlded w1th inwardly tapered journal bearings 14 for I receivmg similarly tapere hubs 15- onthe innerends of the planetary gears 8-.

, The openings ;--10 are th aded interreceiving the external threaded bushings -'1 2'which are adjusta le axially by rotation, each bushin adjustedposition ey -16 and a I Fig. 1. Each ushing -12-'is provided with an bearin onthe outer end of the corres onding planetary gear -8, but of. consi erably larger oses of p y deof the axial adjustment of the 15- at the ilmer end, t e pu which will be hereinafter more scribed.

The object and to take-up outer bushings wear,

. position of adjustment suflicient to produce the desireafit between the cone hubs and their respective bearings, it is provided with a series of, in this instance slx, peripheral 5- is provided with a. series rame or web for the planetary gears The ortions of the web 5- at the in-. a

opemngs provided the inner' 7- and beingheld in its gear-case orhousing for the 18+ tapered hu ;---19- not shown,

"sections .of the traction wheels, it being unto facilitate. assembling. and in order that the 12-'- may be locked in any -for receiving and .sup

grooves --20 spaced edual of each opening -.10'is plurality of, in this instance two,'l'engt rooves 21 spaced c'rcumferentially a istance apart equal to substantially half of the distance between the grooves 20- so that in order to insert the key 16- it is never necessary to adjust thebushing 12-'- bolt --17-'-'.w

for the. reason that the key 16 may '5 It isevident, however, that other devices may be employed forlocking the bushings 12- in their adjusted pos1tions,such for exam le as angular keys 16"-- Fi 7 which are secured by screws -17 v 6 and '-to the.

eriphery and end edges of the supporting have portions thereof engaged in or key seats 21'.'- in theouter end iac'es of said bushings-12 Or, as shown in Figs 8 and 9',

re p y and outer bushings may tangential keys held against rotation b l3'-- and ,-22-, the at'te'rserving1 also eads as clamping bolts for securing the end of the' rotary gear case'toothe central-web or --su orting frame for the pl etaryv gears. ls outer ends of the 'hublg of the gears openin in -1- are journaled in cent I the adjacent ends of oppositely dispose coaxial end headsor: collars I rigidly clamped to op osite 'ends of the central frame-6 by lmlts 23- so as to abut against the outer end faces of the gearsform end thrust bearings'therefor --1 to and thereby hold the 'ears in positive mesh with-opposite faceso the planetary gears -8, the central frame -6 with its web --5 together with the end heads-22- constituting what may be termed a rotary are.

The outer'endsof theQen heads -.22- are reduced in diameter and elongated axially to form-hubs which may be ournaled within the usual stationa axle sections, surrounding t e rotary shaft derstood that. the axle sections for the traction wheels and gears 1- which are locked. thereto are rotatable relatively'to each other 7 porting a bevelgear rin '-'-24-, Fig. 1, which is secured to one en of said frame by clai'nping bolts -'-25- ami meshes with a corresponding pinion -26- on the adjacent end of an engine-driven shaft 27, Fig. 1, whereby rotary motion is imparted to the circular frame 6 which in turn carries the planetary gears -8- bodil around the axis of said frame to rotate t e gears --.1

and axle sections, not shown, connected thereto for driving the traction Wheels, while at the same time the gears 1 and corresponding axle sectionsof the traction wheels are free to rotate relatively to each other in the usual manner for differential gears to compensate for the differential speeds of the wheelsin turning corners.

In some lnstances, however, we may employ a worm gear drive, in which case a.

worm gear ring 24 would be secured by clamping bolts 25 to and between the end heads -22, as shown in-Figs. 6 and 7 One of the serious ,difiiculties in the use of the ordinary differential gear is the unequal tractional resistance of the driving wheels, due to slipping of one or the other of the wheels, and as previously intimated the main object of ourpresent invention is to utilizethis tendency of either wheelto structed in such manner that the slipping of either wheel will produce a wedging action between the teeth of the intermeshing gears for imparting a slight radial end thrust movement of the planetary gears -8- in one direction or the other according to the direction of rotation of the wheels, which end thrust action is utilized to produce wedging coaction between the planetary gears and their support or rather between the conical endsof said planetary gears and their corresponding bearin ing the tendency of the p anetary gears to roll around the gear corresponding to the traction wheel havin' the greatest resistance actuated by that havmg the least resistance.

That is, this radial or end thrust Wedging action of the planetary gears in their respectiye bearings acts-as a brake to pre-' vent sald rolling motion of the planetary gears, thereby establishing a locking. eifect between the two gears 1- so t at the power applied to the rotary support for the planetary gears is transmitted through the latter to both of the gears -1'and to the traction wheel under greatest resistance which serves in most instances to prevent stalling of the machine by propelling the for oounteractsame forward or backward as the case'may be, it being understood that the wedging coaction between the intermeshing gears is reversed as the direction of rotation of the wheels is reversed. I

The wedging action between the cone 1 hubs at the outer ends of the planetary gears and their respective bearings is utilized in the forward drive of the machine, and inasmuch as that is the direction in which the machine is driven mostly, these bearings are made larger than the inner bearings where the wedging action is utilized to prevent slipping of either wheel in reverse drive.

We have foundthat the spiral form of teeth is most effective in producing the desired wedging action between the intermeshing gears and consequent end thrust movement of the planetary gears in case either wheel should'slip and we have, therefore, shown the teeth of all of the gears as of spiral form so that the main feature of the present application, lies in the wedging coaction between the planetary gears and their supporting frame during either the forward or reverse drive of the machine and, incidentally in the central web or frame which supports the planetary gears, in such man-' ner as to effectively resist the end thrust and leverage strains exerted upon the planetary ears; g Another important feature of the invention, however, lies in the relatively sharp taper of the cone bearings on the ends of the planetary gears which not only affords a relatively large braking area, but also produces a quick and highly effective wedging action, and also permits the planetary gears to automatically free themselves from such wedging action to allow said planetary gears to compensate for the differential speeds of the traction wheels in turning corners, all of which features are essential in producing the necessary. differential action, and at the same time-automatically 'lockin the gears 1'' against relative rotation in case the tractional resistance of the driving wheels should be unequal,

What we claim is:

'1. In a differential gearing, the combination ofv a rotar support having radially coaxial conical radially, a pinion having opposite conical ends engaged in said bearings, and gears meshing with opposite sides of the pinion, said gears and pinion havin cooperative means for producing end t rust of the pinion when operated under unequal resistance.

2. In a differential gearing, the combination of a pair of coaxial gears, a rotary support having a central web extending radially between the gears and provided with conical ,bearin in s aced relation a inion 'mesh-' ing with said gears and having opposite earings in spaced relation I conical eiic ls iournaleci in saici bearings andgears'axid pinion having their teeth inclined meshing withjsaid "gears. to'their paths of rotation.

' 3; In a difierential ar,' the combination In witness whereof we have hereunto set i of a. pair of coaxia relatively rotatable our hands this 20th day of October, 1917.

5 gears, a rotary support havm .a web 'extending radially between m gears' and CHARLES H. LOGUE.

v provided-with radial. conical beariligs in a .j 'DONALD D.- ORMS'BY. spaced relation radially, and I? P ion mesh- Witnesses a v w ing with said'gears and having; opposite H. E. C1mon,

'10 vconical ends journa ledin'said bearings, said Amen M. CA NNON. 

